Running...

So my long run on Saturday went extremely well.  I was so excited after the first 3 1/2 miles at a 14 1/2 minute pace I went on to run two more!  I ended up running 5 1/2 miles in an hour and twenty minutes, just shy of my 90 minute goal.  I didn't care, I was sooooo ecstatic to have run FIVE AND A HALF MILES!!!  Three weeks ago, this would have been a dream but now I am actually almost half way to my total mileage of 13.1 for the half marathon.  I was sitting at my parents house today and realized that I actually have to run this thing in two months!  Yikes!  But if things continue the way they have, I have no worries that I will be able to finish the race, which is my only goal.  I don't care about time or if I run the whole thing.  I just want to finish the race.  

In other news, after coming home from a weekend at my parent's house, Ziggy, the cat, was very......hmmmmm.....excited?  This is the only way I can think of to describe his erratic running around the house.  After taking the suitcase upstairs and unpacking it, Ziggy practically flew into the bedroom and onto the bed...but forgot to put on the brakes.  He proceeded to fly/bounce off the bed and straight into the wall, giving himself a fat and bloody lip in the process.  Needless to say, he calmed down a bit after that.  Not sure what got into him but I'm taking it as he really missed us!  

Also, I have my application in for graduate school at Buena Vista, UNI and Drake and am hopeful for someone to think I am worthy of their program.  I am really banking on getting into Drake, as it is close and would make taking classes extremely easy and less stressful, not to mention I would again be a Bulldog.  Ok, I don't really care about the part but it is a really great school and is comparable on cost per credit hour.  Wish me luck on admittance into any one of these programs for Spring!  

Progress

I am slowly making progress on my 1/2 marathon training.  I was supposed to run for 90 minutes on Satuday but only made it 60, mainly because I misjudged how long it would take me to run.  I ended up going 3 1/2 miles in 60 minutes, with probably 1/2 of a mile being walked.  July, I've been told is the worst month for running due to the awful humidity and heat, even at 5am.  My thought it, if I can run in this, October will be nothing right?  Hope so.  I have improved my time already from 20 minute miles, yes I am SLOW, to 16 minute miles.  In only 2 1/2 weeks, I am very proud of my accomplishments and can't wait to see how much more I progress.  I would love to be down to a 10 minute mile by the time I am running the race in October but I'll be happy with even a 14 minute mile.  The other day, I went and bought two "running outfits."  Yes, there is such a thing.  And I spent nearly $100 on two tank tops and two pairs of shorts!  Yikes, running is spendy!  Not to mention, I am in need of new shoes, which are going to cost $100 as well.  Guess you gotta start with something when you came from having nothing even remotely related to running.  :)

On another interested note, we had Evan over this weekend for our first overnight respite.  It went quite well, however we are constantly trying to find things to do that are entertaining for a 12 year old as well as not super expensive.  We went to see Hancock and also saw an iCubs game before the weather rolled in.  Keeping a 12 year old entertained is quite a challenge and I'm glad that we will have time to ease into the ages once we have our own.  Maybe next year, you'll get to start reading about baby news.  Ben's still wanting to wait, despite my constant nagging?  I don't know if it's nagging but definitely prompting and justifying the timely and financial ability.  Oh well, we'll get there when we do.  Until then, I'll just wait, semi-patiently.  

Des Moines Marathon?

So, I got a little ambitious the other night while reading Juice, which was advertising the Des Moines marathon.  I got to thinking, "I could do this..."  I logged on to the website to register and then began to have second thoughts.  Not because of the money I had to spend to register, but because 26.2 miles is a lot of miles.  I drive that far just to see my closest client.  Do I really think that I can run/jog/ok probably walk that far?  Considering I really don't classify myself as a runner, I think not.  So I left the webpage up and began watching tv, but my mind kept wandering back to that October race.  What about a half marathon?  13.1 miles, which I have probably walked while visiting in Chicago in November.  Surely I could take the next four months and increase my running/jogging/walking skills to be able to complete the 1/2 marathon.  Without another thought, I registered, paid my $40 entry fee and began to research training schedules to be sure that I can work up my miles by October 19th.

What the heck was I thinking?  So far, it has gone well, however I am only up to two miles and that is not a 10 minute mile that I am jogging either.  I know that the whole running mile upon mile is mostly a mind over matter challenge and hopefully I can build up my mind to ignore the sore muscle matter and burning lungs to complete the training without killing myself or my knees.  I'll keep you updated on my journey and will definitely be blogging when I finish this beast!

Summer...so far

So far, this summer is well under way and it is hard to believe that we are into the month of July already.  We have gone camping, experienced flooding, spent time at Adventureland, grilled out frequently and celebrated the 4th of July festivities.  We also got our new Toyota Prius on June 30th and are enjoying 50+ miles per gallon.  I have put almost 1,000 miles on it already and have been averaging 52 mpg, even though I drive interstate most of the time.  Very impressive in my opinion considering the EPA estimate of 45 and 50, highway and city respectively.  I told Ben that I was in love with this new car but he has yet to feel the same, although he does enjoy getting a chance or two to drive it!

For the 4th, we enjoyed the carnival in Urbandale as well as the fireworks, which was nearly 25 minutes long.  We also primed and painted the upstairs bathroom in a grey color to match the red curtain and dark grey towels.  We will be putting the room back together and hope that it looks a little less blue than it currently does.

We still do not have plans to extend our family for at least a year.  Ben is working on getting a few more programming classes in and I am applying for graduate school at Buena Vista, UNI and Drake for guidance counseling in elementary schools.  Hopefully I will get into one of the programs for Spring 09 and be on my way towards the career I have finally decided on!  

Coda has been improving but still continues to eat his special diet.  He has been using the litter box and doesn't seem to have any strain.  I found that a product called Stink Free Instantly has worked miracles on the carpet that I thought was ruined.  Recently, he snuck past the gate we had put up to keep him away until it got super cleaned and he completely ignored the spot, which I can only assume means that the smell has been removed.  Next, we will attempt a final urine sample to get to the vet to be sure that the crystals are gone before changing his diet back to normal.  

Things are finally getting settled here in Grimes.

Sandbags Galore

Due to all of the massive flooding around the state, we decided to give our time to those in need by helping fill sandbags this past Thursday evening.  We spent an hour helping different groups stack bags and load them into skidloaders for them to haul them off to the Birdland levee, only for the levee to unfortunately fail on Saturday morning.  Friday afternoon I again went out for another two hours with my sister-in-law and actually filled, tied and stack bags in the wind and sun.  I came home with sand in places that no person should have sand.  Thankfully, overnight last night the rivers have been coming down and the Raccoon and DesMoines Rivers dropped almost 6 inches.  While we are in the clear, we haven't forgotten those in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Waterloo who continue to deal with the devastation and hope you will all give your part in helping to clean up the aftermath.  You can sign up to volunteer through the United Way in your area by going to unitedway.org  Please help those struck by this terrible disaster!

Autism Walk, HOT and Sweaty

Went on the Autism walk this morning with a family I work with that deals with Autism on a regular basis in their three children.  Also joining us were some of the workers from The Respite Connection.  While it finally wasn't raining for once, it was hot and definitely sweaty.  The kids had fun on the 2 mile walk, especially because it ended up in them playing in the fountain at city hall in West Des Moines.  Luckily we weren't given a ticket but then again, our kids were just wading, while others were fully submerged and swimming in the strange smelling water.  We finally finished up and headed home, only to discover the extremely red, almost purple looking shoulders, chest and neck after looking in the mirror.  I now plan on spending the next two days in the house after making a quick run to get some aloe.  If only we had cable to keep myself entertained while I "recover."

In other news, Coda seems to be doing better.  I only say seems because he is still not able to go downstairs to check out his "spot."  However, he has not peed anywhere else in the house since he has been restricted and has been using the litter box.  He still tries to sneak "good food" from Ziggy but is still on his special diet.  Next week entails contacting the vet and hopefully one last urine sample to be sure that his struvite crystals are gone.  Gotta love the money we shell out on the pets!  

Coda's issues

So, we still don't know what Coda's issue is, as they have take x-rays and found nothing significant enough to suggest that he is having any bladder infection or stones.  Glad that he is not sick, but what the hell is the reason for him peeing all over the rug and carpet???  Well, after getting back from a Memorial Weekend camping trip with Matt and Morgan I decided to do a deep cleaning so no pet could ever smell urine in the carpet again.  I ended up ripping up 1/2 of the carpet on the landing and cleaning the padding as well as the front and back side of the carpet.  Next, Ben tackled the brand new rug that Coda decided to "christen" as his own, cleaning the front and back of that as well, trying to do so quickly as it began to lightening, thunder and rain.  So now as we wait for those to dry and hopefully become fresh and clean, we have installed a baby gate to keep Coda out of the stairway.  We recently found out that "Skinny" aka Ziggy can slip his narrow little hips through the gate and get through, and taunts Coda from the other side.  Unfortunately or not, he then cannot figure out how to get back through the way he came from and cries from the other side to be let back in.  Ah, the life of cat owners.  I guess we will be prepared for when we have children and won't have to spend $60 on a gate at that time as we already took care of it.  Stay tuned for more of the cat's shenanigans to be posted throughout the year.